About Spokenforks

Spokenforks aims to be an insightful blog for those wishing to gain a firmer grasp on the world of racing; doing so without swamping readers with history and terminology. Currently focusing upon the previewing and analysis of major races, Spokenforks is soon to expand with interviews from domestic and international riders – as well as live reports from the roadside. If you have any questions about the sport, from race winning strategy to what the riders have for breakfast – please get in touch. The more feedback received, the greater Spokenforks can be tailored towards your tastes as they become clearer. Spreading Spokenforks through sharing the site goes to attract further attention; helping secure press passes and exclusive interviews with top names at major races – Thank you.
For further information, please contact Spokenforks at – editor@spokenforks.com

Purchase Spokenforks Official Kit

Summer 2015 sees the release of the first limited edition run of official Spokenforks apparel; the result of a collaboration with professional kit manufacturer Kalas. Available in both Men’s and Women’s cuts, the jersey is constructed from fabric which utilises carbon fibre to create a more lightweight and aerodynamic surface. With elongated sleeves and mesh panelling in key areas, Kalas ensures comfort and performance is guaranteed whenever working hard on the bike. Other features included on the limited edition jersey are a three-compartment rear pocket, full length concealed zipper providing continuity of design and an inner removable water-proof pocket to keep your valuables safe.
For more information regarding the Spokenforks kit, including how to order yours, please click on the sidebar to the left.

Independent Cycling Race Previews

Month: December 2014

New Year’s Eve means the launching of the inaugural Spokenforks Awards 2014; or ‘Spokies‘ from here on in. A mixed bag of awards for the most exciting of races, greatest rides, worst kit and much more. Settle in for a look back on the finest, fastest and most ferocious moments of 2014 as seen by Spokenforks.

Best Grand Tour – Vuelta a España:

Another great edition of ‘The Other Grand Tour.’

The race which saw Spokenforks find its stride as a reliable source of race insight and accurate stage predictions; finishing the Vuelta just shy of a 50% win rate (Adam Hansen you rascal.) A Battle Royale was forecast once Froome, Contador, Quintana, Aru, Rodriguez and Valverde had all confirmed their participation. Home support was potent as ever for Rodriguez and Valverde, while Froome and Contador undertook the task of riding into form after a miserable time at Le Tour. Valverde showed early form as life became testing during the opening week with a stage win; teammate Nairo Quintana wore the leader’s jersey and then took a hit from the barrier…and then another upon the tarmac, eventually retiring from the race. Despite it at first appearing as a fair fight between Valverde, Rodriguez, Froome and Contador for the overall win, once the big mountains appeared on the stage profiles ‘Bertie’ took flight. Continuously dousing the hopes of his opponents as he hammered home the advantage for a third Vuelta a España title.

Best Domestic Race – Lincoln GP:

King of the Hill.

Another edition blessed with idiosyncratic British weather; sudden downpours or beaming rays of sunshine, it is rapidly becoming the only predictable aspect of Britain’s sole classic. In preparation of Lincoln’s hosting of the National Road Race Championship 2015, the traditional route had been altered in order to trial the more wearing course worthy of a national champion. Yanto Barker put in a barnstorming effort this year to be crowned atop the Michaelgate, winning an extremely animated contest worthy of finding the next British champion.

Best Domestic Rider – Adam Blythe:

Stepping up once again.

It would be a difficult task to argue a better case for any rider contesting 2014’s British domestic calendar of road races and criteriums. Having decided to drop down from the WorldTour after a frustrating period at BMC, an unspoken pressure was apparent for Blythe to prove his class in order to climb back to the top. Blythe took himself a set of British bands when winning the National Circuit Race title, also securing wins at Otley GP, Ipswich & Coastal GP, Circuit of the Fens; as well as top ten finishes at the gruelling Lincoln GP and Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic. But it was a murky victory upon The Mall that catapulted Blythe back to WorldTour with Orica-Greenedge, leaving his fellow breakaway companions scrambling for his wheel after a clinical trackie’s sprint to win the Ride London Surrey Classic.

Best Transfers – Luis Leon Sanchez and Dylan Van Baarle:

Tales of the unexpected.

Many staked a claim to the honour of being Best Transfer of 2014, but this duo in particular exceeded expectations in differing ways. Team Belkin had left Luis Leon Sanchez without a WorldTour team heading into 2014, so an offer to ride for Caja Rural was accepted, resulting in Sanchez strutting his stuff once again at the Vuelta a España. Ambitions from both team and rider were modest at the start of their home Grand Tour, attempting to pounce on a couple of unexpected stage wins at best. However, fortune would shine fondly upon Luis Leon Sanchez during the tour, standing before the crowd resplendent in polka dots as King of The Mountains come the final day.

Calling up a stagiaire to blood them against the World’s best is a way of testing their mettle, so few would have then expected Dylan Van Baarle to walk away from the experience as Garmin Sharp’s Tour of Britain champion. Poor tactical awareness from OPQS certainly benefited the young Dutchman as he took the leader’s jersey into Brighton, but to say it was gifted to him is insulting. With only the final day’s time trial left, Van Baarle found himself peering over his shoulder at two naturals against the clock; Michal Kwiatkowski and Bradley Wiggins. Despite a stage winning ride by the Brit and another great showing by the emerging Polish talent, Van Baarle executed a fantastic defence of the leader’s jersey as he limited his losses to become the second Dutch champion of the week long race.

Worst Crash – Women’s World Championship Elite Road Race:

Carnage. Any other word would sell the entire affair short. Seemingly scripted from a children’s cartoon, the sudden collapse of the peloton remains a fascinating watch as you puzzle how such widespread chaos can ensue so quickly. All manner of injuries were present, from the cyclist’s ‘favourite’ broken collarbone to a nasty broken hip; luckily all riders escaped with nothing longterm or life threatening. The footage’s watchability is some indication of the mayhem, as riders charge headlong into those already wrecked upon the floor.

Rider of the Year – Alejandro Valverde:

Alejandro Valverde catches the rest sleeping.

A favourite mantra in cycling these days is “the numbers do not lie”; so the fact Alejandro Valverde ended the year as the UCI’s number one ranked rider must mean something. Proficient across a variety of terrains, the Spaniard holds a penchant for surging attacks, a tactic which benefited him once again this season. From winning Stage 6 of Vuelta a España to taking a dramatic second Flèche Wallonne title in the final few meters. Alejandro Valverde has proved the most consistent rider of the year, but has found his palmarès lacking the World Championship Road Race title yet again, collecting his career’s sixth podium place at the race.

Breakthrough Year – Michal Kwiatkowski:

Thumbs up Michal!

Even without the rainbow bands, 2014 really was the year of Michal Kwiatkowski. An ever present force at one day races, it seemed that his biggest moment of the year was going to be his demolition of Peter Sagan at Strade Bianchi. He turned up at the World Championship Road Race to contest a course suiting his talents and found himself gifted the opportunity to attack exactly where and when Spokenforks predicted he would. Opening an unassailable gap to walk away with the stripey jersey everyone wants to wear during their career.

Facial Hair Champion of The Year – Dan Craven:

The wild man of the peloton.

A champion of the beard for a long time now, there was no hesitation before awarding the Namibian cult icon as the first winner of this follicly inspired accolade. Keeping him warm in the grimy Glaswegian Commonwealth Road Race and even warmer during his Grand Tour debut at 2014’s Vuelta a España. The only logical conclusion to keeping such a glorious chin mane? It must be the source of all his power.

Will 2015 be his year?- Thibaut Pinot:

Thibaut Pinot took the White Jersey home.

Despite having only turned 24 during the season, Thibaut Pinot has already weathered a lifetime of hype from the French cycling press. Once again pinning their hopes to his dossard as he attempts to lead the nation out from the post-Hinault doldrums. During 2014, Pinot once again displayed an aptitude for consistency across Grand Tours and week long races. A 2014 season crowned when seizing upon Froome and Contador’s absence from Le Tour de France to take a step upon the podium before l’Arc de Triomphe.

The ‘screaming at your television against all odds’ Award – Jack Bauer:

Jack is soon to be riding the next career high soon.

The Kiwi’s exploits on the road to Neims were heroic alongside his break away partner Martin Elmiger as they attacked from the gun and led the peloton for the entire 222km stage. As the duo passed beneath the flamme rouge, the chasing pack still had work to do should they succeed in stealing the win away from the kamikaze attackers, but cat and mouse came out to play as usualand their work rate deteriorated late on. Bauer launched himself towards the line in an attempt to become the first New Zealander to take a Le Tour stage win as viewers across the World were ferociously cheering him on, but to no avail. Bauer was overtaken with less than ten pedal revolutions remaining and proved inconsolable once finished.

Best Kit – Trek Factory Racing:

Courtesy of steephill.tv

Unchallenged as the smartest livery amongst the WorldTour peloton, a predominately black kit paired with contrasting white sleeve and a subtle pinstripe. Unfortunately, their understated kit set a precedented for the 2014 season, a palmarès leaving much to be desired beyond Fabian Cancellara’s spring campaign.

Worst Kit – Astana:

Some even deemed this over the top for an Astana national champion’s jersey.

Yellow and blue may be the choice partnership for the Kazakhstan flag, but the peloton would be a nicer looking place without this uniform. Their stubbornness towards creating a jersey fit for a national champion is another reason to bestow this honour upon a team made to look like Kazak national champion wannabes.

Spending the majority of 2014 wondering who exactly you upset so greatly in order to warrant such a severe jinxing was an acceptable pastime for the unlucky Dan Martin. Having been offered to lead a team at the Giro d’Italia which started in Belfast, Martin then slipped upon a manhole cover during the opening Team Time Trial and finished his Italian campaign on the wet streets of Ireland with a broken collarbone. This alone would have stung sufficiently enough, but a month earlier the talented Irishman had watched his bike, and possibly another Liege-Bastogne-Liege title, slip away from beneath him too. He continuously showed resilience throughout the remaining season, striking gold at the calendar’s final monument Il Lombardia with a spectacularly cunning sprint, catching the other contenders unaware.

That is it for Spokenforks in 2014, thank you for being part of the debut year and see you in 2015 for some curtain raising racing. Happy New Year.

The European heartland is yet to thaw despite next season approaching with ever increasing momentum; training camps are underway and jerseys are being revealed all in preparation of 2015. But one mystery remains shrouded thus far; details are elusive for Team Wiggo’ ahead of next year, but clues have been dropped as pressure builds in search of information.

Why?

Bradley Wiggins faces some difficult decisions in the twilight of his career, his form now a finite resource, needs to be used wisely; most of all realistically. An amazing Paris-Roubaix this yearwas later topped by the incredible achievement of taking the World Time Trial Championship against a seemingly indomitable Tony Martin. He displayed once again his talent of setting goals perceived beyond his abilities; rising to the challenge with immense success thanks to pious dedication and focus. In 2016, the Olympic games shall be hosted by Rio de Janeiro and Bradley Wiggins wants his name on GB’s hotel reservations. A return to the track is calling him, the boards which made him a household name may yet see his effortless riding once more. But unlike the days which saw Wiggins first step onto the track in the name of Team GB, the competition is now more talented and much younger. The Sky man needs to prove his worth once again, meaning a step away from the road should he have any chance of catching the eye of Britain’s selectors.

What?

Bradley Wiggins’ needs cannot be supported by Sky, a new structure needs to be put in place in order to allow him to achieve the intermediate goals which should set him on the path to Rio 2016. This means a new team without a doubt; Team Sky cannot afford to carry a high cost rider who will be inconvenienced by track events throughout the season. Exactly how far Wiggins will be separated from Sky remains unclear currently, though a certain level of both financial and coaching support seems guaranteed. Paris-Roubaix remains a big target for Wiggins’ before he retires from the road, so a logical plan would be for him to ride the spring with the intention of bettering last year’s result at the ‘Hell of The North’, before shifting focus onto the track. Whether this will happen under the guise of Team Sky is unconfirmed; it is still possible for Wiggins to ride for Team GB on the road in order to supplement his track ambitions after all. An application from Team Wiggins to ride Britain’s CiCLE Classic has been the only confirmation thus far of a speculated race schedule. Based around the East Midlands, the race could be used as domestic training for Wiggins’ well documented Paris-Roubaix ambitions.

Who?

Though unofficial, several riders have already dropped clear hints as to their involvement or intentions to join ‘Team Wiggo.’ Andy Tennant and Owain Doull are two such riders which have decided to turn down offers to join road-centric teams in 2015, instead opting for the complimentary track programme on offer at Team Wiggo. The academy riders of GB’s track roster might be ideal candidates to bulk out the squad around Wiggins, versatile youngsters which would seize opportunities to impress on big occasions. Bradley Wiggins’ will not be bereft of experience surrounding him though, track specialists Mark Christian and Steven Burke are strongly touted to have committed themselves to the project already to.

When?

Once the new year is under way, we should see some definitive details emerge as to what embodiment this Wiggins led team shall take. Structure, programme, funding and roster details are all likely to be confirmed while Bradley Wiggins is still officially riding for Team Sky. Once spring is over however, a new livery could well be on the shoulders of Sky’s World Champion.

Local newspapers have long been the go-to source for early news of next year’s Tour de France and the sentiment remains the same for the Tour of Britain too. Last week saw the announcement in the East Anglian press of a return to the region by the Tour of Britain; expecting the race to pay visits to both Ipswich and Norwich over two days. The eastern region has displayed a growing prowess for hosting such events, having secured the visits of previous tours in consecutive years from 2010 to 2012. Impressive progress has also been made in the domestic calendar; with the recent Suffolk Coastal GP proving to be an exciting and hotly contested conclusion to the Premier Calendar.

Critiscim is present however when analysing the sporting and commercial success of these events in the region’s press. For example, Ipswich organisers during previous ToB visits seemed more focused upon the promotion of Sky Ride events than any consistent reporting of the race; surprising having gone to so much effort to secure the event. Equally strange focuses were present throughout the media; journalists preferring to interview families which have completed the equivalent of a fun run, rather than report the main event. The knock on effect here means that the cyclists and teams which commit so much in terms of money and energy to competing in the area, are left without an media representation to promote themselves and their sponsors. An issue in such a volatile sport when it comes to funding; ensuring that brands are kept happy is a major concern for teams when trying to secure further funding.

The fact of the matter is that the British public love a spectacle; something which cycling lends itself to so easily. Crowds soon mass when a race is nearing, but the majority are there to simple see it. Local press fail to stimulate a wanting by viewers to understand the tactics within a race; on some occasions even struggling to report the outcome correctly.

Road racing may seem like a circus or even agonisingly boring on the surface perhaps; it is only a tactical awareness which makes the sport’s full excitement obvious to recently interested people. Admittedly, coverage needs to strike a balance with the council fitness schemes or sky rides which back the Tour of Britian positively. Ensuring that communities are informed as to how impressive it is to have such events hurtling through their village should also be a priority too though. Not only does a greater understanding extract every ounce of excitement, it also encourages people to watch more races and consider participating more seriously themselves too. If local media outlets can up their game when it comes to reporting top races in their area, the entire spectrum of those involved will benefit from better representation. Sponsors are promoted, teams’ profiles raised and a broader range of people encouraged to follow the support for longer than a fleeting pass.